Pumulani Lodge Review | Robin Pope Safaris

Pumulani Lodge Review | Robin Pope Safaris
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What can I say about Pumulani Lodge from Robin Pope Safaris that hasn’t already been said by the countless 5* reviews on Tripadvisor.  It’s stunningly beautiful, service is exceptional and the villas have a greater square footage than most London flats.

We arrived at Pumulani Lodge from Domwe Island where we had camped for 2 nights and I instantly felt like I needed to shower at least 3 times before I touched anything at all, such was the cleanliness and sense of pure perfection.  The contrast was quite extreme from beach camp to 5* luxury but we quickly acclimatised.

Why not check out our full post about our 14 nights Malawi Family Holiday with Responsible Safari Company!

Our Malawi Family Holiday with Responsible Safari Company www.minitravellers.co.uk

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We were warmly welcomed by Natasha and provided with drinks and iced towels to cool down. The girls instantly spotted the first of the two swimming pools and couldn’t wait to get in.  Matt and I were just staggered by the view, I could have stayed sitting in the bar at the top just soaking up the view for quite some time. Pumulani Lodge’s position on a hill leading down to Lake Malawi has to be one of its unique selling points.

Natasha gave us a brief overview of what we could experience during our stay, watersports, sunset cruise, swimming, walking tours etc. We were only at Pumulani Lodge for 24 hours though so decided to treat the girls to lots of swimming and beach time. Natasha also used check in time to check the lunch menu with us and placed our order for 12.30pm.

Pumulani Lodge Review | Robin Pope Safaris

Our 2 bedroomed villa was at the bottom of the hill, close to the second large swimming pool, with a view to the beach. Pumulani Lodge is quite literally set into the hill so factor this in with very young children or the elderly. It’s quite a hike to get back up to the restaurant for lunch or dinner if that’s where it is being served.

The girls fell instantly in love with our villa. In fact it was the large door that instantly did it for them, but they also loved the personalised notes to them on their pillows and that happily dealt with the question of who would sleep where as they felt that each bed had been chosen especially for them.

Pumulani Lodge Review | Robin Pope Safaris

The girls bedroom was off the back of our bedroom, and easily fit in the third bed.  Our bedroom had an incredibly large double bed and patio doors onto one of two private decking areas that looked out to the beach.

You can see our mini room tour here!

We immediately took advantage of the large shower area with two showers before heading up to the top restaurant for lunch.

Wifi is available to purchase at Pumulani Lodge but is patchy and can only be used in the top bar area.

Pumulani Lodge Review | Robin Pope Safaris

Pumulani Lodge Review | Robin Pope Safaris

Lunch was delicious and it was with some reluctance that I left the view to head back down to the beach and the pool to swim.

The girls happily took advantage of the pontoon just a short distance into Lake Malawi to swim out to and jump in, until they saw the kayaks and decided they fancied a go of that.  We had done some kayaking at Domwe Island but here they could have a go themselves too with us walking in the Lake at the side of them.

Pumulani Lodge Review | Robin Pope Safaris

They moved between the Lake and the Swimming Pool all afternoon very happily, and because the two were so close we were able to keep an eye on them all easily.

Pumulani Lodge Review | Robin Pope Safaris

Pumulani Lodge Review | Robin Pope Safaris

We only left the beach when it was time to go on the sunset cruise. A gentle 45 minute trip around the bay and back again, with some nice snacks and a G&T took us from day to evening very happily indeed.

Pumulani Lodge Review | Robin Pope Safaris

Pumulani Lodge Review | Robin Pope Safaris

That evening dinner was a bbq on the beach. A fire was lit around 6pm and the guests all gathered around the fire for a pre-dinner drink. The girls started chatting around the fire to an American girl living in Zambia and instantly became the best of friends as only kids can do.  It was determined by them that they wanted to sit together for dinner and so we shared our table and a very pleasant evening with her parents and Grandma, whilst the four girls sat happily chatting and laughing at theirs. The bbq food was really good but the salads were exceptional and made the meal for me.  It was clear that the food at Pumulani Lodge was another of its selling points.

We retired to our private deck at the villa with a nightcap and sat listening to the sound of the Lake before collapsing into bed, very happy and content, with only a little sadness at the shortness of our stay.

The name Pumulani means “rest well” in the local Chichewa language, and that’s exactly what we were offered – the chance to unwind in a beautiful and tranquil setting.

Thanks to Pumulani Lodge for hosting us.

Why not check out our full post about our 14 nights Malawi Family Holiday with Responsible Safari Company!

Our Malawi Family Holiday with Responsible Safari Company www.minitravellers.co.uk

Pumulani Lodge Review | Robin Pope Safaris

 

 

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Karen Beddow founded Mini Travellers in 2014 while doing what she loves most...going on holiday!

Mini Travellers is for parents looking for holiday ideas, destination reviews, days out and things to do with the kids. We also have family travel tips, activity ideas and all other things family holiday related. Take a look at some of our latest reviews for holidays and day trips in the UK.

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